Surgical instruments



March 31, 1964 s. BLU'MENFELD SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS Filed NOV. 25, 1960 INV ENTOR G w mnt@ .nu. Ihm. u" Y mm Y R no 1+ A N l l Nm -NIMH n uvw... m \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\A"\\\v\ \\\\\\\N\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ United States Patent O 3,126,889 SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS Sylvan Blumenfeld, 627 Adams Ave., Scranton 10, Pa. Filed Nov. 2S, 1960, Ser. No. 71,587 7 Claims. (Cl. 12S-303) This invention relates to new 'and useful improvements in surgical instruments, particularly knives or cutters, and the principal object of the invention is to provide an improved knife embodying a rotary cutter together with means for delivering anaesthetic and/ or medicating agents to the cutter and conveying blood away from the same. As such, the rotary knife in accordance with the invention, when rotated at high speed, also serves as a blower for dissipation of heat at the site of incision and the blowing action of the rotating knife assists in the delivery of anaesthetic and/ or medicating agents and in the conveying away of blood, as above noted. Means are also provided in the instrument for heating the conveyed blood to prevent coagulation, so that the blood may be recirculated to the patient if so desired.

With the foregoing more important objects and features in View and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention will be understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference are used to designate like parts, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the inventio'n;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 2--2 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional View, taken substantially in the plane of the line 3-3 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 4-4 in FIGURE l;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional detail showing a modified embodiment of the invention, this view being taken substantially in the plane of the line 5--5 in FIGURE 6; and

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 6 6 in FIGURE 5 Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, particularly to FIGURES 1-4 inclusive, the improved surgical knife is designated generally by the reference numeral 10 and embodies in its construction an elongated handle 11 which is provided at one end thereof with a hood 12. The latter has an open bottom and a rotary cutter disc 13 is mounted on an axle 14 journalled transversely in the hood 12, it being noted that the cutter 13 is rotatable in a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the handle 11.

The cutter 13 is provided with a bevel gear 1S which meshes with a bevel gear 16 secured to a shaft 17, the latter being rotatably journalled in and extending longitudinally of the handle 11 into an enlarged handle portion 18 provided at the end of the handle remote from the cutter. The handle portion 18 accommodates a suitable electric motor 19 which is operatively connected by gearing 20 to the shaft 17, whereby to rotate the cutter 13 in the direction of the arrow 21.

As will be noted, the lower portion of the cutter 13 projects downwardly from the open bottom of the hood 12 so that it may be brought in contact with the site of an incision to be made. The cutter is rotated by the motor 19 at high speed and its rotation creates a blowing action within the hood and at the incision site, whereby heat incident to cutting is dissipated and surgical shock is materially reduced.

Means are provided for delivering an anaesthetic agent to the site of incision, these means comprising a tube or ICC conduit 22 which extends through the housing or handle 11 and has an outlet end 22' discharging into the hood 12, whereby the anaesthetic agent discharged into the hood is picked up by the aforementioned blowing action of the cutter and delivered to the incision site. Another conduit 23, similar to the conduit 22, extends through the handle 11 and has an outlet end 23' also discharging into the hood 12 for delivering suitable medicating agents such as antiseptics, et cetera, to the site of incision. If desired, additional conduits apart from the conduits 22 and 23 may be provided as desired for delivery of various ditferent agents to the cutter, and the cutter itself may be nned or ribbed so as to increase the effectiveness of its blowing action when rotated.

The handle 11 also contains a tube or conduit 24 having a pick-up or inlet end 24 adjacent the cutter below the open bottom of the hood, the conduit 24 being connected to a vacuum pump, or the like, whereby to convey blood away from the incision site. As indicated in AFIG- URE 4, when the conduits 22, 23, 24 enter the handle portion 18, they are routed so as to avoid interference with the motor 19, gearing 20 and an electric heating element 25 which is also mounted in the handle portion 18. However, the blood conveying conduit 24 passes in close proximity to the heating element 25, so that the conveyed blood is heated to prevent coagulation and, as such, may be recirculated to the patient, if so desired.

The handle portion 18 is formed with a recess or cavity 26 into which enters a flexible carrier 27 containing the various conduits 22, 23, 24 as well as electrical conductors 28 for energizing the motor 19 and the heating element 2S. Operation of the motor and heating element is controlled by a suitable switch 29 which is mounted in the handle portion 1S and actuated by a depressible switch operator 30. A second switch 31, actuated by a depressible switch operator 32, is also mounted in the handle portion 18 for remote control of the vacuum pump (not shown) with which the blood conveying conduit 24 communicates.

FIGURES 5 and 6 illustrate a somewhat modified arrangement of the cutter 13a which, in this instance, is not carried by an axle such as the aforementioned axle 14, but is rotatably journalled by means of a set of roller or ball bearings 33 which are seated in annular grooves 34 formed in opposite sides of the cutter disc and are also seated in suitable depressions 35 formed inside of the cutter hood 36. The cutter hood is somewhat resilient so that the cutter disc may be easily removed and replaced when necessary for purposes of cleaning, sharpening, et cetera, it being understood that the bearings 33 are close enough in their opposing relationship that they do not fall out of the depressions 35 even when the cutter is removed.

It will be also noted that since the disc 13a is supported by the bearings 33 rather than by a central axle, deflection of the peripheral portion of the disc when cutting will be materially reduced.

The cutter disc 13a is preferably magnetized and drive means for the disc assume the form of an electro-magnet 37 which is mounted in the adjacent end portion of the handle 11a and projects into the hood 36 so as to exert a field of magnetic force on a peripheral portion of the cutter disc and cause the disc to rotate when the magnet 37 is energized. This arrangement, of course, eliminates the shaft or axle 14, the shaft 17, the gearing 15, 16, 20 and the electric motor 19 of the embodiment shown in FIGURES 1-4.

While in the foregoing there have been described and shown the preferred embodiments of the invention, various modications may become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Accordingly, it is not desired to limit the invention to this disclosure and various modifications may be resorted to, falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a surgical knife, the combination of an elongated handle, a rotary cutter mounted at one end of the handle for rotation in a plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the handle, means for rotating said cutter, a hood mounted at said one end of the handle and partially enclosing said cutter, conduit means extending through said handle and having an outlet disposed Within said hood for discharging an anaesthetic agent into said hood, and additional conduit means extending through said handle and having an outlet disposed Within said hood for discharging a medicating agent into said hood.

2. The combination as deined in claim 1 together with an electric heating element disposed in said handle for heating fluid conveyed through said rst and second mentioned conduit means.

3. In a surgical knife, the combination of an elongated handle having an enlarged portion at one end thereof, a rotary cutter mounted at the other end of said handle for rotation ina plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the handle, a hood carried by said handle and partially enclosing said cutter, a rotatable drive shaft journalled longitudinally in thev handle and operatively connected to said cutter for rotating the same, conduit means extending through said handle and having an outlet disposed within said hood for delivering fluids thereinto through the handle, additional conduit means extending through said handle and having an inlet disposed exteriorly of said hood and adjacent the cutting edge of said cutter for aspirating fluids away from the cutter, and an electric heating element provided in the enlarged portion of the handle in close proximity to said conduit means for heating the luids passing therethrough.

' 4. The combination as dened in claim 3 together with an axle provided in said hood and having said rotary cutter mounted thereon.

d 5. The combination as defined in claim 3 together with means provided in said hood and mounting said cutter for rotation about its axis, said-last mentioned means being spaced radially away from the axis of the cutter.

6. In a surgical knife, the combination of a handle having a cutter support including a pair of spaced walls,

Aa rotary cutter disc disposed between said spaced walls,

means interposed between said walls and opposite sides of said cutter disc for mounting the latter for rotation about its axis, said means comprising depressions provided in saidV spaced walls, the opposite sides of said disc being provided with annular grooves concentric with and spaced radially away from the axis of the disc, ball bearings disposed at opposite sides of said disc and seated in said depressions and in said annular grooves, and means for rotating said disc.

7. The device as defined in claim 6 wherein said means for rotatingV said cutter disc comprise an electromagnet straddling the marginal edge portion of the disc and exerting a iield of magnetic force thereon, said disc being magnetized and rotated by the force of the magnetic field of said electromagnet.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS i 2,012,363 Vogel Aug. 27, 1935 2,244,683 Fisher June 10, 1941 2,261,230 Cox NOV. 4, 1941 2,557,429 Hawley June 19, 1951 2,721,555 Jenny Oct. 25, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 21,089 Great Britain Sept. 23, 1907 575,814 France Apr. 30, 1924 257,846 Italy Mar. 20, 1928 632,176 Great Britain Nov. 17, 1949 582,463 Canada Sept. 1, 1959 

1. IN A SURGICAL KNIFE, THE COMBINATION OF AN ELONGATED HANDLE, A ROTARY CUTTER MOUNTED AT ONE END OF THE HANDLE FOR ROTATION IN A PLANE PARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE HANDLE, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID CUTTER, A HOOD MOUNTED AT SAID ONE END OF THE HANDLE AND PARTIALLY ENCLOSING SAID CUTTER, CONDUIT MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID HANDLE AND HAVING AN OUTLET DISPOSED WITHIN SAID HOOD FOR DISCHARGING AN ANAESTHETIC AGENT INTO SAID HOOD, AND ADDITIONAL CONDUIT MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID HANDLE AND HAVING AN OUTLET DISPOSED WITHIN SAID HOOD FOR DISCHARGING A MEDICATING AGENT INTO SAID HOOD. 